Convey More than Love through a Flower Delivery
During the Victorian era, certain plants and flowers had specific meanings, actually going as far as to formulate a complex floral language called “floriography.” Because the fresh flower selection was limited to the immediate landscape of local growers and gardens and due to the very stoic and moral social etiquette of the era people used flower arrangements as well as clothing accessories as symbols and gestures to convey emotions and messages rather than words. The list is infinite and, of course, the meanings may change with various combinations.
A young man could either encourage or rebuff a woman, simply through his gift of flowers. Flowers would convey messages of love or ambivalence depending upon which ones were given, their sizes how they were held, or also grouped together. They had a silent meaning of their very own, and could say what was not dared to be spoken aloud. Extensive Encyclopedias were written to explain this clandestine language to all, and were especially used by courting couples. One could learn that roses of course symbolized love, in general, but each variety and color had each, his own meaning. Even the manner in which flowers were sent had a special meaning. A flower presented in an upright position represented an encouraging message whereas one presented in the opposite direction had a negative meaning. In addition, a person could convey a yes answer by offering a flower with the right hand or no if given by the left hand.
Small bouquets of flowers wrapped in a lace doily and tied with satin. Called tussie-mussies were very well liked gifts. The intrigue of secret messages sent this way, became a popular pastime. However, a flower delivery today, with the modern convenience of air transport and refrigerated storage, shipping the secret symbols of flowers are all but lost; it’s the sentiment that gives the gift its meaning. Many people consign their own personal meanings by choosing a flower or color that might remind them of a special event or moment in their lives.
Flowers, herbs and various plants remain quite popular, because their beauty has the ability to uplift when someone is ill or depressed. While their essential oils are used to make intoxicating perfumes and delicate blossoms, roots and foliage can be used as ingredients in cooking to enhance the flavor of foods, distilled to flavor alcohol such as delicate rose liquor and are also harvested and rendered to produce certain medicines.
Herbs and flowers are believed to have potent magical powers and psychological impact in many parts of the world. Aromatherapy for instance, is the use of volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Although the term aromatherapy was not used until the 20th Century, it is said that the foundations of aromatherapy date back thousands of years. The use of essential oils in particular date back nearly one thousand years.
Researchers assert that the Chinese may have been one of the first cultures to use aromatic plants for well-being. Their practices involved burning incense to help create harmony and balance. It has been reported that oils of cedar wood, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and myrrh were used by the Egyptians to embalm the dead. When a tomb was opened in the early 20th century, traces of the herbs were discovered with intact portions of the body. The scent, although very slight, was still perceptible.
A Roman herbalist, Discorides, wrote a book called De Materia Medica that described the properties of roughly 500 plants. It is also reported that Discorides studied distillation. It is said though that distillation during this period focused on extracting aromatic floral waters and not essential oils.
During the earlier part of the 20th century, a French chemist by the name of René-Maurice Gattefossé became interested in the use of essential oils for their medicinal use. Previously, he focused on the aromatic use of essential oils, but his interest in their medicinal use grew after an accident heightened his curiosity. While working, he burned his arm rather badly and by reflex, he plunged his burned arm into the closest liquid, which happened to be a large container of lavender essential oil. He later reported that the burn he suffered healed quickly and left no scar.
Gattefossé is credited with coining the term aromatherapy; however, such sources as there are differ radically on the date of this event. Most put it in the late1920s, but other sources place it much earlier, and represent him as using aromatherapy to treat wounds and burns of casualties in the First World War citing a 1937 article where he supports the use of using essential oils in their whole without breaking them down into their primary constituents. It is believed that this may be due to confusion with another prominent French aromatherapist, Jean Valnet, who did indeed use aromatherapy to treat wounded French soldiers, but during the Second World War, not the first. Gattefossé wrote a book called Aromathérapie: Les Huiles essentielles hormones végétales that was later translated into English and named Gattefossé’s Aromatherapy. It is still in print and widely read.
Tags: , air transport, ambivalence, bouquets, courting couples, encouraging message, encyclopedias, flower arrangements, flower delivery, flower selection, gestures, gift of flowers, intrigue, lace doily, left hand, pastime, personal meanings, secret messages, secret symbols, social etiquette, symbols of flowers